"Let him leave" - Norwich City: Bold Borja Sainz transfer claim made as Girona interest emerges | OneFootball

Our Canaries fan pundit does not see Girona being able to afford Borja Sainz this month, but the winger should depart if £20m bids come in

Norwich City star man Borja Sainz is currently the subject of reported transfer interest from Spanish side Girona, but FLW's Canaries fan pundit is unsure if the La Liga outfit would be able to afford to buy the Championship's leading scorer in the January window.

Sainz has been a standout in the second-tier so far this season, with his 15 league goals placing him clear at the top of the scoring charts, despite Norwich only sitting in 11th place as it stands.

The versatile forward has understandably attracted transfer attention this month as a result of his impressive performances, with Fichajes reporting that Girona are the latest to add his name to their list of potential targets.

Sainz is still only 23 years old, and has the potential to get even better as the years go on, so it comes as little surprise to see the same news outlet claim that it is expected to take around €20-25 million (£16.9 million-£21.1 million) to prise him from Carrow Road this month.

Norwich City fan pundit unsure if Girona can afford Borja Sainz

Sainz's season has somewhat faltered as of late, as he has failed to score in any of his last eight outings, and is currently suspended for six matches after admitting to spitting at Sunderland's Chris Mepham in December.

Teams are interested in securing his signature regardless, after he was electric in the early parts of the campaign and picked up the Championship Player of the Month award for both September and October, and registered 15 goals and two assists in the first 18 league games of the season.

Norwich will certainly not want to lose their key man this month, as Johannes Hoff Thorup's side seek promotion through the play-offs, and FLW's Canaries fan pundit, Zeke Downes, has moved to play down rumours of Girona's interest, with doubt cast over whether they would be able to match the amount that the Canaries are likely to demand for his services.

Despite this though, Downes would welcome Sainz being sold if a £20 million bid came in, due to the fact he is not fully contributing in some aspects of his game.

“I am not surprised that Borja Sainz is getting some interest, especially from Spain,” Zeke told FLW.

“It’s a difficult one, because it’s all about how much money that they would offer. I doubt that Girona will be able to afford the amount that we would be asking for.

“If we got offered £20 million, then I would probably take it. Because, as good as Sainz is, when he’s not scoring, he’s not affecting the match very much.

“It’s not like he’s getting loads of assists either, he’s a goalscorer, which as a winger, is not really normal. Normally it would be the other way round and they would be struggling for goals.

“I think that, while his stock is high, although he is now suspended which isn’t ideal, then let him leave if we get an offer of £20 million or more.

“I don’t know whether clubs in Spain will have that sort of money.”

Norwich have previously insisted that Borja Sainz is not for sale

It remains to be seen how Norwich get on without Sainz in the league this season, as he has started every game so far and played 98% of all Championship minutes up to now, but it will soon be apparent as he begins his suspension.

His contributions also make up 42% of all of the Canaries' 43 goals in the league up to now, so despite his recent loss of form, it is pretty obvious as to why they want to keep him around until at least the end of the season.

Girona have a big pull for potential incoming players, as they are currently taking part in the Champions League after a brilliant 2023/24 campaign in which they finished third in La Liga, but they have been slightly less impressive this time around, and sit eighth in the Spanish top-flight as it stands.

Whether Sainz would want to make a move back to his native country midway through the season is unclear, but it has previously been made very clear by Canaries chief Mark Attanasio that the club do not plan on parting ways with the 23-year-old anytime soon.

“We don't need to sell Borja in January. Frankly, we don't need to sell them ever,” he told the PinkUn in November.

“We can control what we can control, in regards what happens to our players.

"It's just at some point there's an element of fairness, if I understand the ecosystem, where if you're getting offered a very fair price, and it doesn't have to be an extreme price, and it's something that someone wants to do then you have to look at it."

Sainz currently has 18 months left on his Norwich deal, so they are understandably in no rush to sell, with contract discussions planned for the summer.

Girona could well tempt the Canaries with a sizeable offer for his services this month, as they aim to retain their European football status this season, but it seems unlikely that he will leave Carrow Road unless an extraordinary offer comes in over the next few weeks.